🌟 TOYS TO LIFE 🌟
Toys to Life games were a pretty big part of my childhood so I decided to make a list of every one of them I could find as I haven’t seen anyone make a definitive list of all the important games.
But first a couple of rules for this list:
1. I won't be including some character packs that are listed on the site (for some reason a lot of the LEGO Dimensions packs are on here) I'll only be including the games themselves.
2. I'll also be including some ports like the 3DS versions of the Skylanders games due to them basically being entirely different games from the originals. There are some odd cases here like how Disney Infinity 2.0 is listed twice with one only having the Wii U and Xbox One as the available platforms and the other having all of the other platforms (including Wii U and Xbox One???) but I'll include those regardless.
3. I also won't be including PC Ports of the games that worked without the figures/has all the characters already unlocked like the Disney Infinity Gold Editions as, while they are great ways of playing the games nowadays, they did remove what made the games unique in the first place.
4. I'll add notes to games that are important to the genre's history or to explain games that included Toys to Life but it wasn't the main selling point.
5. On that note of explaining games where TTL wasn't the main selling point: amiibo. These sorts of games are tricky, it's 50/50 whether or not if a game supports amiibo a lot or just supports it through the bare minimum. I'll include games that support amiibo a fair amount as well as games that are just important to the brand's history.
With all the rules set, let's take a look through the history of this genre!
But first a couple of rules for this list:
1. I won't be including some character packs that are listed on the site (for some reason a lot of the LEGO Dimensions packs are on here) I'll only be including the games themselves.
2. I'll also be including some ports like the 3DS versions of the Skylanders games due to them basically being entirely different games from the originals. There are some odd cases here like how Disney Infinity 2.0 is listed twice with one only having the Wii U and Xbox One as the available platforms and the other having all of the other platforms (including Wii U and Xbox One???) but I'll include those regardless.
3. I also won't be including PC Ports of the games that worked without the figures/has all the characters already unlocked like the Disney Infinity Gold Editions as, while they are great ways of playing the games nowadays, they did remove what made the games unique in the first place.
4. I'll add notes to games that are important to the genre's history or to explain games that included Toys to Life but it wasn't the main selling point.
5. On that note of explaining games where TTL wasn't the main selling point: amiibo. These sorts of games are tricky, it's 50/50 whether or not if a game supports amiibo a lot or just supports it through the bare minimum. I'll include games that support amiibo a fair amount as well as games that are just important to the brand's history.
With all the rules set, let's take a look through the history of this genre!
27 Games
While being lesser known, U.B. Funkeys was the first Toys to Life game. It began in August 2007 and got supported for nearly 3 years before being discontinued in January 2010.
The best selling and probably most well-known Toys to Life franchise, Skylanders set the pieces to what would be the standard for the genre.
The 3DS Port of Spyro's Adventure was an entirely different game and had a bigger emphasis on platforming compared to the original.
The 3DS port of Skylanders Giants felt a lot more like an actual port compared to SA's with the only major differences it and the original Giants being that there's a different story and different levels.
The second Skylanders game that was very clearly built off the engine from the first one. It still proved to be a success.
Nintendo’s first attempt to try and break into the Toy to Life market before striking gold with amiibo. This game used small Pokemon figures that you would be able to summon into the game to fight in arenas.
Disney Infinity would be the first big Toys to Life series to compete with Skylanders. The game was a sandbox beat ‘em up featuring characters from different Disney and Pixar properties.
While Toys to Life wasn't the big selling feature of Angry Birds Star Wars II it was made available through the Telepods series of figures. When scanning a figure it would let you use that character in the level you were currently playing.
The 3DS version of Disney Infinity was an entirely different game, being a Mario Party inspired party game.
The third Skylanders game and the first to be developed by Vicarious Visions instead of Toys for Bob. A noteworthy thing about this entry is it's infamous Wii port.
While Toys to Life wasn't the big selling feature of Angry Birds Go it was made available through the Telepods series of figures. You would unlock karts and characters in game with the figures.
While Toys to Life wasn't the big selling feature of Angry Birds Stella it was made available through the Telepods series of figures. When scanning a figure it would let you use that character in the level you were currently playing.
The next Disney Infinity game would introduce new characters from different Marvel properties like the Avengers, Spider-Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy.
The exact same game as Disney Infinity 2.0 but for some reason more platform versions are listed.
The next Toys for Bob Skylanders game. This one introduced a lot of fan favourite villains and a new trapping mechanic that allowed you to play as enemies.
While Toys to Life wasn't the big selling feature of Angry Birds Transformers it was made available through the Telepods series of figures. When scanning a figure it would unlock that character in game.
amiibo were first released in November 2014 alongside the long awaited Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. The functionality of the figures would differ from game to game. For Smash you would unlock a CPU Fighter that you could train and level up.
Sick Bricks was a mobile game where you could scan in tiny block figures and play as them in the game. It’s fairly unknown compared to other Toys to Life games.
A free game on the Wii U eshop that let you play short demos of classic NES games by scanning in different amiibos.
The last Disney Infinity game and the one that got the most support with more figures releasing after its launch until 2016. This entry featured characters from Star Wars alongside new figures for Marvel and Disney/Pixar characters.
The fifth Skylanders game and second game to be developed by Vicarious Visions. This entry featured brand new vehicle figures with different types of traversal: Ground, Sky and Water. A noteworthy thing about this entry was the crossover with Nintendo, having Donkey Kong and Bowser as playable characters. They would only work on the Wii, Wii U and 3DS versions of the game though.
The Wii and 3DS versions of Superchargers only had an expanded version of the racing side-mode.
LEGO Dimensions was the next big rival in the genre with it having a bit more of an out there gimmick: using real Lego pieces and figures. The game wouldn't get any sequels but they did support the game with new sets and characters until October 2017 when it was discontinued.
Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival was a Mario Party inspired party game that required you to use amiibo figures in order to play as a character. It wasn't well received by fans of the series.
Based off the Mario vs. Donkey Kong sub-series of games, by scanning an amiibo from the Super Mario series into the game you would be able to play as a toy version of that character who has their own special ability.
The final Skylanders game and for a lot of people the end of the Toys to Life genre. A noteworthy mention about this game is the unique Nintendo Switch port that didn't come with a portal and would instead save the characters onto the console.
Considered to be the last Toys to Life game, released two years after Skylanders Imaginators. Was noteworthy for having a crossover with Nintendo’s Star Fox series that was exclusive to Nintendo Switch.
The_Gaming_Dog12
3 months ago